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The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom

Author

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  • Ludovica Gazze
  • Claudia Persico
  • Sandra Spirovska

Abstract

Children exposed to pollutants like lead are more disruptive and have lower achievement. However, little is known about whether lead-exposed children affect the long-run outcomes of their peers. We estimate these spillover effects using new data on preschool blood lead levels (BLLs) matched to education data for all students in North Carolina public schools. We compare siblings whose school-grade cohorts differ in the proportion of children with elevated BLLs, holding constant school and peers’ demographics. Having more lead-exposed peers is associated with lower high-school graduation and SAT-taking rates and increased suspensions and absences. Peer effects are larger for same-gendered students.

Suggested Citation

  • Ludovica Gazze & Claudia Persico & Sandra Spirovska, 2021. "The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom," NBER Working Papers 28782, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28782
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    Cited by:

    1. Goulas, Sofoklis & Griselda, Silvia & Megalokonomou, Rigissa & Zenou, Yves, 2024. "Disruptive Peers and Academic Performance: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 17539, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Higney, Anthony & Hanley, Nick & Moro, Mirko, 2022. "The lead-crime hypothesis: A meta-analysis," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Avila-Uribe, Antonio & Roth, Sefi & Shields, Brian, 2024. "Putting Low Emission Zone (LEZ) to the Test: The Effect of London's LEZ on Education," IZA Discussion Papers 17020, IZA Network @ LISER.
    4. Jessica Sauve‐Syed, 2024. "Lead exposure and student outcomes: A study of Flint schools," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 432-448, March.
    5. Eyo I. Herstad & Myungkou Shin, 2024. "Identification of a Rank-dependent Peer Effect Model," Papers 2410.14317, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2025.
    6. Nilsson, J Peter & Linnros, Evelina, 2025. "Prenatal Conditions and Midlife Mental Health: Evidence from an Alcohol Policy Experiment," Working Papers in Economics and Statistics 2/2025, Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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